GOVERNOR LINGLE ALLOWS SIX MORE BILLS ON POTENTIAL VETO LIST TO BECOME LAW WITHOUT HER SIGNATURE
For Immediate Release: July 8, 2008
HONOLULU – Governor Lingle will allow six bills that she was considering for potential vetoes to become law without her signature. Her decision was based on additional information and analysis provided by the community, legislators, industry associations, interested parties and administration officials between June 23, when the Governor issued her potential veto list, and today, the deadline for deciding on all pending legislative measures passed this year.
Governor Lingle encouraged the community to share its views and recommendations on the 52 bills that she was considering vetoeing. This year over 1,000 comments were received on the various bills, and numerous meetings were held by the Governor and her staff to collect additional information and hear explanations about why these bills should or should not become law.
“While our main priorities in reviewing the bills included ensuring each measure is legal, constitutional, fiscally sound, and in the best long-term interest of the public, the input we received provided different perspectives on the significance of the bills, which factored into my final decision,” said Governor Lingle. “I appreciate the public’s participation in this open process. It gave people a chance to voice their points of view, and in some instances, we heard new information about the merits or drawbacks of some of the bills which had not been previously raised.”
The six measures that will become law without the Governor’s signature on July 9 are:
HB2062 HD1 SD2 CD1 allows that Department of Human Services (DHS) to reaffirm with federal officials the “Going Home” program which allows elderly and disabled individuals to move from an acute care hospital setting to residential-based care. DHS has had the program in place since 2003 when it initially received federal approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This bill will become Act 241.
HB2519 HD2 SD2 CD1 establishes a working group to develop a student loan repayment and stipend program for physicians and dentists willing to serve in rural or underserved geographic areas. The Administration hopes that the working group will explore private sector support for this type of program since the current fiscal picture makes it unlikely state funds will be available for the next several years. This bill will become Act 242.
HB2520 HD3 SD2 CD1 sets up a working group to explore wage replacement options for family members who leave the work force to care for a family member. The working group will be encouraged to seek options that do not impose on employers or businesses the burden of paying replacement wages, since this approach could have adverse implications for the State’s economy and the creation of new jobs. This bill will become Act 243.
HB2781 HD2 SD2 CD1 sets forth rights that small businesses in Hawai‘i should be afforded when conducting activities in this state. The bill also establishes additional requirements for State agencies that wish to issue new regulations that impact small businesses. These agencies will now be required to perform a detailed analysis of rules that are considered more stringent than rules already in place at the federal, state or county level. This bill will become Act 230.
SB1804 SD2 HD2 CD1 imposes a surcharge on 15 different types of traffic violations to raise funds for trauma care at hospitals throughout the state. While the money from these surcharges will depend upon the discretion of the courts and the behavior of the driving public, these funds will help bridge part of the funding gap being experienced by hospitals that treat people who are in an accident and need immediate medical attention. This bill will become Act 231.
SB2365 SD1 HD1 CD1 continues the $3 per day surcharge on rental cars that is currently in place, to help ensure a steady flow of money into the State Highway Fund for road construction projects throughout the state. The bill also adds a $1 surcharge to raise funds to plan and design consolidated rental car facilities at the State’s major airports. This bill will become Act 226.
“While we have some concerns regarding these bills, I support their intended purpose to improve healthcare for our residents, meet the needs of our kūpuna, and continue important capital improvement projects that will benefit the traveling public,” said Governor Lingle.
Pursuant to the State constitution, these six bills will become law at midnight tonight and will be delivered to the State Legislature on July 9 along with a statement from Governor Lingle explaining her concerns with each of these measures.
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For more information, contact:
Lenny Klompus
Senior Advisor – Communications
Phone: (808) 586-7708
Russell Pang
Chief of Media Relations
Phone: (808) 586-0043
